A claim by a nurse at Wheatfield Prison in Dublin that resuscitation equipment used to attempt to revive a prisoner who hanged himself was faulty has been vigorously denied by other nurses who medically attended the inmate.
Nurse Mary Cullinane told Dublin County Coroner's Court yesterday that the resuscitation oxygen tank was not properly filling the retainer bag and raising the chest on the young inmate who had hanged himself. Three other nurses who attended the prisoner said this was untrue.
Gavin Whelan (25), Seville Place, Dublin, died on January 16th, 2004 after he hanged himself with a shoelace from the top bunk in his cell. The inquest was held on the third anniversary of his death. The court heard that Mr Whelan was under special observation as he had only arrived at the prison from Mountjoy the day before and had yet to be seen by a doctor.
The jury returned a verdict of death by suicide and recommended that medical personnel assess all inmates upon arrival at Wheatfield Prison.
Outside court, Sonya Whelan said her brother was taken straight from a padded cell at Mountjoy to Wheatfield. He had attempted to set himself alight a number of days previously. "He was a suicide risk. The family are now considering a civil action against the prison. But we hope something good can come out of the jury's recommendations."
Mr Whelan was checked every 15 to 20 minutes in his cell until another inmate raised the alarm when he was found hanging at midday, prison officer Gareth Telforth told the inquest.
Earlier that morning, Mr Whelan had attempted to get a prescription for a heroin substitute but this was denied as he had not yet been seen the doctor.
"He was sick and suffering from withdrawals," inmate Michael Whelan, who discovered his friend, said.
The court heard that Mr Whelan had received methadone the previous day at Mountjoy.
Nurses from the prison's medical unit were summoned to the scene with the emergency medical equipment when the alarm was raised. Mr Whelan had no pulse and resuscitation was begun. Ms Cullinane said the equipment was "faulty".
"The equipment was not working. There was no oxygen going into the retainer bag and his chest was not rising."
Three other nurses who carried out resuscitation said the equipment had been in order. Nurse Linda Corlett described Ms Cullinane's demeanour as "hysterical" during the attempted revival of the prisoner.
The dispenser bag used by nurses at the prison was later disposed of by the ambulance personnel, so could not be checked, Det Sgt Michael Doyle told the inquest. "I wish the bag could be produced because then I would be proved right," Ms Cullinane said. She said she made a number of complaints to the nursing co-ordinator of the Irish Prison Service Frances Nangle-O'Connor about "outdated" medical equipment and a lack of enforced policy of regular checking medical equipment.
Ms Nangle-O'Connor said she had introduced a procedure whereby nurses should regularly check medical equipment, but was not responsible for enforcing this and could not say if it was done. The jury recommended that records of checks on medical equipment be kept at the prison.